Selected quad for the lemma: earth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
earth_n	day_n	heaven_n	lord_n	22,364	5	4.1952	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A11067	The arte of happines Consisting of three parts, whereof the first searcheth out the happinesse of man. The second, particularly discouers and approues it- The third, sheweth the meanes to attayne and increase it. By Francis Rous.	Rous, Francis, 1579-1659.	1619 (1619)	STC 21338; ESTC S116243	106,766	542

Happinesse And how can it bee otherwise for this Marriage is betweene the Creature and the Creatour And how can the Creature comprehend the Creatour especially since wee haue here only a little glimpse of Faith whereby to behold him Againe it is a spirituall Marriage and wee are here more carnall then spirituall so the tabernacle of corruptible flesh doth much cloud and darken the Spirit in the view of incorruptible ioyes Yet are wee not left here wholly ignorant of that which here we cannot wholly know but hee who is our Happinesse hath shewed some sparkles of that which he is hath deliuered it to vs in this World of ignorance by some palpable expressions fitting rather to our dull capacity then to his supernaturall Excellency Too much light darkens and dazles a weak sight and therefore the full apparance of felicity is reserued for a perfect most absolute Purenesse and Claritie In the meane time let vs firmely lay hold on those reuealed Truths which GOD hath set apart vnto vs for our allotted portion of Light in this darke place vntill we come vnto the perfect Day Among them we find this most certainly proclaimed That as there went out at first a Word of Creation so shall there goe out a Word of Dissolution and therewith also a Word of Resurrection The mightie voyce of the Lord of Heauen shall make Heauen and Earth to shake the Elements to melt with fire and the World to be dissolued The face of this Visible frame shal be wiped away it shal be rolled vp as a Scrol And al the false happinesses of Man shal passe away into nothing But the All-seeing Prouidence of the Almightie Creator who numbreth the haires of our heads and the sands of the Sea for without his appointed number they could not haue the quantity or number which they haue knoweth all Mankind both dead and aliue yea euery part of euery scattered Man and calleth vp all Men as hee doth the Starres in their turnes Arise ye Mortals from Death and Mortality and come vnto Iudgement The Earth is but a Ball in the hand of God whereof euery Mote or Atome was placed by his Wisedome and the WISEDOME that made all cannot but know all that it hath made yea the thing made cannot goe out of the reach of the Maker for it must bee by a Power giuen from the Maker that it is able to doe those actions by which it striueth or seemeth to auoyd his Maker And this Power can be disposed but at the will or permission of the Giuer and so it is still subiect to his reach and comprehension Accordingly God the Infinite cause of all these finite things fully searcheth and comprehendeth his owne Creation yea euery change and varietie thereof neither can any thing in the World escape his knowledge whose knowledge is the very Fountaine of all those changes which would seem to escape it Wherfore if we will allow a Wisdome wise enough to create wee must also allow a Wisdome wise enough to know and to master in knowledge the things created And if we allow a Power able to create without matter we should much more allow the same Power to bee able to renew of something what was first created of nothing Bee this therefore the assurance of the blessed that the Trumpe shall blow and the dead shall rise and that the sruit of this Creation shall return to the hand that first did plant it As God is the beginning of his Workes so is he the end of them all things that went from him with Power must returne to him with Glory and the Seed-time of Creation must be answered with the Haruest of a finall Iudgement God hath not made the World to no purpose neither hath hee cast out from him so great a Creation as a thing contemned and neglected Hee hath not beene wise in an excellent Creation to no end he hath not set Man here as a wild beast of the Forrest only to run after his lusts neither seeing his Maker nor seene of him The Soule of Man had in it the power of a reasonable seruice it could see and know and please his Creatour And Nature hath truly discouered that GOD makes nothing for nothing Therefore the Soule with her Subiect the Body must come and stand at the Barre of Iudgement to bee tryed by her workes whether in the Body shee hath pleased him that formed her And though many vagabond soules haue run from their Maker and haue indeuoured to put themselues out of his seruice command yet he will not lose his property in them they may fly from his Obedience but neuer from his Power Iustice and Vengeance they shall be forced to serue him who is the end of all his Creatures by the sufferings of Iustice who would not serue him in the Righteousnesse of Mercie Accordingly in this great Day of Trial their appearance shal be in the vglinesse of Gods defaced Image their blind foule and leprous soules shall appeare in a perfect naked deformednesse and their many sins shall come againe to visit them shall stand before them as so many vnnaturall accusers of them that begat them The pleasure that once encouraged to the commission of them shall now be stripped from them and sinnes shall then appeare only sinfull filthy and detestable And so by them sinners being lothsome to the God of purest Eyes they shall be carryed from the Eyes whom they offend yea the Eyes of Mercie and Glorie shall be shut vp from them But on the contrarie side the Eyes of Wrath and Iustice shall sparkle out fire against them and this fire shal seize and feed on their Sinfulnes for sinne vnto Iustice is as fuell vnto fire Burne it shall for euer in a tormenting but not a consuming flame It shall haue the agony and vexation but not the consumption and abolition of fire for the torment must be like the wrath the wrath of an eternall God and the torment of an eternall fire Thus blinde and darke toward the God of Comfort and the Comforts of God they shall bee open-sighted toward their owne Guilt Horrour and Amazement Their guilt shall beget feare and their feare amazement by reason of desperation and hopelesnesse of release What depth of vexation or rather how bottomlesse a horror it is when the Soule cannot see beyond torments but is whol ly swallowed vp of anguish by the contemplation of an immortall miserie These are they whose portion is the Creature and whose Happinesse is in this Life And as they liued without God in this World yea against God so shall they liue without GOD in the next World and God will bee against them Hee who might haue beene their felicitie but was neglected shall now because neglected become their misery their Habitation shall bee the blacknesse of darknes and their businesse shall be eternall anguish vexation and gnashing of teeth But the blessed sonnes and seruants of the Highest God who

taught vs that importunitie is a way to ouer-come him Earnest prayer vseth violence toward him and thereby we that are weaknesse are too hard for him who is infinite power But how commeth this to passe that wee who haue no strength but from GOD should ouer-come him from whom wee haue our strength surely if we looke neerly vnto it we shall find that praier perswades God to ouer-come himselfe It moues his owne goodnesse to ouer-come his owne power so that we feele only the effects of power mastered and conquered with goodnes Therefore is God by prayer as it were troubled and stopped in some actions outwardly proposed to haue beene effected So LOT holdeth the Angels hand from destroying of Zoar a towne of the sinfull Plaine and to her growth equally lyable for wickednesse to fire and brimstone And MOSES hindreth and doth not let GOD alone when in his furie hee would destroy Israel but diuerteth the plague denounced against them Goodnes cannot denie the importunitie of beloued-ones The bad whereof is in an earthly father whose bowels are turned within him if hee cannot giue what his hungrie childe doth craue of him But the roote here of is God who is goodnesse it selfe in whom is the Fountayne of that drop which wee call good Nature in Men. The same God who is goodnesse is also loue loueth his Children farre more tenderly then earthly fathers and loue workes vpon the will to make it willing to communicate to the beloued the fruits and effects of goodnesse The same God is also Almightie so that whatsoeuer streames of goodnesse the will moued by loue would particularly distribute the Almightinesse of GOD is able to fulfil accomplish Wherefore in confidence of the great goodnesse the loue the power of God let vs boldly hopefully yet humbly repaire vnto him beleeuing that a power so mastered with goodnesse loue cannot denie a vehement importunate prayer But if we faile of obtayning it is certainly some impediment on our owne side so that either we haue asked in an ill manner or for an ill matter or to an ill end or else we haue limited the most High telling him how and when we wil haue our request But if wee aske for good things in a good manner to a good end submitting the conditions and seasons to that infinite Wisdome to whom to submit is mans chiefest wisedome then let vs bee assured that wee are in the way of hearing let vs fasten our foote in that way and resolue neuer to turne from it though checked with the woman of Canaan and deferred with IOB This way ends assuredly in granting and thou shalt either haue the same thing thou crauest or a better For as all Gods actions to his children are for their good and aduantage so are also his deferrings and denyals And this the daily experience of the Saints can testifie who haue found that they were then heard vvhen they thought themselues most neglected The vision and message of the most High as that of DANIEL was botimes sent forth though the time of accomplishmēt was appointed to bee later GOD will not breake the Couenant of Prayer but vvould raise thy faith to that high pitch euen to beleeue that God is good to Israel euen when thou feelest the smart of thine owne miserie and seest the prosperitie of the wicked or hee would raise thy patience to such a degree that though GOD should kill thee yet thou wouldest submit thy self to his mightie hand or hee would humble chastize and nurture thee that he might do thee good in thy latter end Therfore stand thou strong in the path of prayer and therein especially hunger thirst after Righteousnesse euen spirituall graces for therewith thou shalt surely bee filled But if with the stubborne King of Israel being grieued thou say It is the Lord Why should I seeke him any more thou turnest thy selfe out of the way of obtayning thou forsakest him who is the onely giuer of euery good and perfect gift thou changest him who only heareth and granteth prayers for miserable helpers who without him like IEROBOAMS politike Calues through a wise foolishnes shall become their Masters destruction Now that our prayer may yet haue a farther increase of force and so a fuller preuayling let our prayers partly consist of praise Let the remembrance of benefits past accompanie the Petition of benefits to come let vs pray that Gods Name may bee hallowed when wee pray that his Kingdome may come more into vs. In the Law of Nature thankfulnesse for one benefit inuiteth another and much more with the Father of Grace and Nature doe thanks for a lesse degree of Grace perswade for a greater Praise glorie to God is the end and fruit of Gods gifts and where God reapeth this fruit abundantly there will he abundantly sow the seed of this fruit For if Christ called his Father an Husbandman wee may boldly say he is a good Husbandman and therefore he will not commit that ill husbandrie to sow little that hee may reape little when hee sees that by much sowing he may reape much GOD will not bee wanting to his own glorie by sowing smal grace where by much grace hee might reape much glorie That this was agreeable to the heart of God well knew that holy Man who was according to GODS heart and therefore continually hee mixeth his prayers with praises yea sometime he plainly discouereth the secrets of this skill as when hee saith Let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee then shall the earth bring forth her increase and God euen our God shall giue vs his blessing Examples confirme this instruction NOAH gaue a sacrifice of praise for his deliuerie from the floud and God being praised for that one deliuerance perpetuateth his benefit and promiseth an euerlasting deliuerance to the earth from any more flouds When SALOMONS Leuites Singers and Priests made one sound in praising the Lord the glorie of the Lord filled the house of God When the Singers of IEHOSAPHAT praised the Lord because his mercy indureth for euer God laid ambushments against the children of Ammon Moab and Mount Seir and they slue one another What doe these things shew but that prayer is sharpned with praise and it enters more powerfully into the acceptation of the Highest They teach vs plainly that God willingly opens his eare to receiue his due praises and into his eares so opened the adioyned Petitions haue more speedie admittance Surely God well accepts his owne glorie he accepts his glorifier and with his person his prayers But as farre on the other side doth vnthankfulnesse shut vp the bountie of God and make it fast against our selues God will not long giue benefits whereof himselfe may haue no benefit but if there bee gifts like benefits bestowed on the vnthankfull let it be thought that these seeming benefits are very curses euen gifts giuen in wrath as Quailes and a King vnto Israel